This winter has been a little colder than average but much less snowy in Concord, which has been fine for winter sports but done nothing to help the state’s drought.

The National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, which covers New Hampshire, says the average temperature at Concord airport from December through February was 23.6 degree Fahrenheit, which is 1.5 degrees colder than the long-term average.

But the total snowfall in Concord was 36.6 inches, a huge 12 inches below average. More than half of that total – 19.6 inches – fell in February.

Total precipitation, meaning both rain and the amount of moisture contained in snow, was an inch below average for the winter. All of southern New Hampshire is in moderate-drought status following one of the driest autumns in recent memory; northern New Hampshire isn’t much better, classified as “abnormally dry”.

Rains expected this week will help but much more is needed as we enter spring, often the wettest part of the year.